Louis started his career as a pure technical person studying design and quality. (He jokes that he is probably the last generation of drawing moulds on a board, before converting to CAD). This led him into a career of packaging in which he has had many successes, leading teams locally, regionally and globally, delivering value whichever businesses he was working for/with, whilst still able to bring amazing innovations to market, at a high level of quality.
He has experience in both developing and developed markets and has led projects as simple as new launches to complex full solution turnkey projects, the latest been, building a recycling plant in Indonesia to recycle complex flexible materials. Louis has worked in packaging for more than 30 years and over the past 16 years, his roles and indeed interests have changed somewhat in that he took the lead of packaging sustainability within Unilever and then started his own consultancy in 2022.
During the time with Unilever, he became far more externally focussed engaging with anyone from suppliers to customers, PRO’s, NGO’s, LA’s and various government departments. He specialised in strategy and implementation of three core thrusts, namely: sourcing, design and end-of-life solutions, particularly EPR and recycling technologies.
He is quick to note that he was fortunate to have worked for such a well-respected FMCG company, which he credits with propelling him into the public domain and is now, amongst other activities, part of the CEFLEX leadership team and the Technical lead for the Flexibles part of the Holy Grail initiative. He is also an advisor to two equity fund management companies.
PUBLICATIONS:
- Global Protocol on Packaging Sustainability – September 2011 (Part of a team of authors).
ACCOLADES:
- Winner of Diamond World Star award for turn-key innovation 2007.
- Delivered over 50 keynotes – conferences, industry associations annual meetings, EU commission, and others.
- Launched RecyClass at the INTERPAC trade show in 2014.
- Twice judged the DuPont Global packaging awards, and three times the UK packaging awards, and now a judge of the European Packaging Sustainability awards for the 4th time.
- Twice named by Packaging world as one of the most influential in the field of packaging sustainability.
- Named 6th most influential person in packaging sustainability (UK) by Grocer magazine (2018).